The Wolf Siren

by Karen Whiddon

  “I told her she had nothing to apologize for.” Lilly shook her head. “You’d better eat up, or your food might get cold.”

  As delaying tactics went, that worked. Kane flashed a grin and then turned his attention to his meal. He dug in. After a moment, she tried to do the same. She managed to get down most of her eggs, one piece of toast, and the bacon. Eating the rest of the still-heaping plate was beyond her capabilities.

  When all the women started clearing the dishes and breaking down the buffet, Lilly jumped up to help them. Staying busy would keep her from worrying.

  After the meal, everyone drifted into the living room, where some sort of sports game played on the big-screen TV. The volume had been turned low, but all the men had their attention riveted on the game.

  “Preseason football,” Debi said, shaking her head and sending her long earrings flying. “Come on, we’re starting a card game in the kitchen.”

  Lilly followed Debi and saw Sharon and Kane’s mother were already seated at the dinette table.

  “Do you know how to play gin rummy?” Sharon asked, her smile friendly. She, too, had put up her wavy red hair, though she’d made hers into a sock bun on top of her head.

  “No.” Lilly didn’t know how to play any card games. “Maybe I’d better just watch.”

  “It’s easy.” Sharon patted the chair next to her. “Sit. We’ll teach you.”

  Lilly won the first round. “Beginner’s luck,” Debi told her. “But we go to 500 points, so we’ve got plenty of time to catch up.”

  They played hand after hand. When the score finally topped 500, Kane’s mother won by a landside. Lilly glanced at the clock, surprised to learn several hours had passed.

  The football game was still on, but the men appeared to have lost interest. Kyle was glued to his phone, either checking email or playing a game. Kris and Kane were engaged in some sort of discussion, while their father alternated between watching the game and wearing a path from the couch to the front window. His wife watched him with an indulgent expression. “We get so little excitement around here,” she told Lilly. “He’s beside himself.”

  “I’d rather have the boring peace and quiet,” Lilly confided.

  “Me, too.” Kane’s mom slipped a friendly arm around Lilly’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug.

  Surprised, Lilly smiled her thanks, enjoying the glow of warmth the friendly gesture brought.

  The Protectors arrived exactly as Kane had said they would. Lilly and he were still at the main house. Kane’s father, who was at the front window, notified everyone of their arrival.

  The quiet hum of conversation ceased as everyone went still.

  “Wait inside,” Kane told everyone. “At least until I make sure this is them.”

  Just then, his phone chimed, signaling a text message. “‘We’re here,’” he read out loud. “It’s them.”

  Everyone started talking at once.

  Lilly crossed the room to stand in front of Kane.

  “So they’re finally here.”

  He nodded.

  “I want to go with you to meet them.”

  He studied her, and then nodded. “Only you,” he said, raising his voice for the benefit of the others. “The rest of you, please wait inside.”

  The grumble of protest which followed seemed mainly masculine. Ignoring this, Kane headed to the front door.

  As Lilly followed Kane out, she studied the nondescript black SUV that had pulled up and parked. As she did, six men emerged from the vehicle. The first thing Lilly noticed was they looked like ordinary men, except for the fact that they were all dressed in black from head to toe. She did a double take. Scratch that. One of them was a woman.

  They greeted Kane with the ease of long familiarity. Lilly noticed how everyone, including the lone female, treated Kane with respect.

  “Let me show you where you’ll be staying,” Kane told them. “Once you’re settled in, we can go over strategy.”

  “Strategy?” A large man with a bulbous nose laughed. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s simple. We find these sons of bitches, arrest them and haul their asses off to jail.”

  The rest of his companions laughed.

  “If only it’s that easy, Sly,” Kane said, clapping him on the back. “Grab your gear and follow me.”

  The cabin that had been allotted to the Protectors was the next one down from Kane and Lilly’s. Though the building itself couldn’t be seen from their front porch, a quick jog down the road and around a turn would put them there.

  Lilly wished this knowledge made her feel safe. Instead, her gut instinct screamed at her to flee. Only the knowledge that she could now change into her wolf self and outrun any human was able to comfort her.

  “We’re just around the bend,” Kane told the crew, pointing.

  “Do you need a few minutes to decompress?”

  This time the woman glared at him. “What do you think we are, trainees? What we need is to plot a quick strategy, change into civilian clothes, and head into town to do some recon work.”

  Kane smiled his approval. “Good deal. First check with Muriel, she’s the front desk clerk at the Value Five Motel. It’s an old place, back in the pines along Main Street.”

  “Got it.” The large man with a silver flattop haircut tapped his phone. “All the info has already been relayed to us.”

  “Well, then. I’ll leave you to it.”

  This clearly surprised them. They all glanced at each other in obvious confusion. “You’re not coming with us?”

  “Nope.” Kane put a friendly arm around Lilly’s stiff shoulders. “I have to stay here and protect the asset.”

  The Asset?

  Though they all nodded and then went on about their business, Lilly kept herself absolutely still, seething. The asset? As if she was no longer a person, but an item. Worse, Kane had been the one to use it.

  She eased out from under his arm, jaw tight, chest aching.

  “What are you two going to do?” This from the female agent, standing a few feet away, the sympathy in her clear green eyes letting Lilly know she’d not only noticed, but understood.

  “I’m thinking we might practice shooting after all,” Kane answered, even though the other woman had been looking at Lilly when she spoke. Then, when Lilly made a soft sound that might have been a protest, he faced her.

  His granite expression softened. “I want to make sure you can defend yourself if something happens to me.”

  Her anger evaporated. “Happens to you? What do you mean?”

  “Yeah.” The female Protector crossed her arms, her expression mocking. “Since you’re staying here, what could possibly happen to you?”

  Before he could answer, the rest of her team joined her.

  “Yeah, McGraw,” one of them said. “Is there something you know that you’re not telling us?”

  Once again Kane’s expression turned to stone. “Nope. Just taking precautions for any possibility. You know that. It’s part of our basic training.”

  Just like that, they all got busy doing something. Except Lilly. She wasn’t part of any team, including the one she’d believed she and Kane had begun to form. For the first time since she’d been rescued from Sanctuary, she felt utterly and completely alone.

  Chapter 13

  “Come on.” This time, when Kane reached for her, Lilly neatly evaded him. She marched to the door herself and stepped outside, not bothering to see if he followed her.

  “Anger is good,” he said, from right behind her. “You can use it to your advantage and channel that fierceness when working with the firearm. You’ll be much more accurate.”

  She stared in disbelief. How was it possible for him to be that clueless? She climbed into his car without responding. She’d been ambivalent about the entire teach-Lilly-to-shoot thing before. Now she was pretty damn sure she didn’t want to do it.

  They drove the short distance down the road and stopped at their cabin. Kane asked Lilly to wait in the c
ar while he went inside to retrieve a spare pistol and some ammunition. He didn’t seem to notice her black mood or if he did, apparently assumed it had nothing to do with him.

  When he returned to the car a few moments later, the happy tune he was whistling set her teeth on edge.

  “All is apparently right with your world.” She couldn’t keep the furious hurt from her voice.

  Clearly surprised, he cocked his head and looked at her, one hand on the ignition button he’d been about to press. “If everything goes as planned, everything will be perfect for you, too. Now that the Protectors are here, it won’t be long until you’re safe. Once those three nut jobs from Sanctuary are securely in custody, you won’t need to worry anymore.”

  “True.”

  He made no move to start the car. “Yet you don’t sound happy.”

  “Oh, this asset is perfectly fine.” Though she fairly spat the words, the instant they were said she wished she could call them back. She knew learning to express her feelings had to be a good thing, but she wasn’t sure she actually enjoyed doing so.

  “That’s what this is about? You’re upset because I—”

  “Referred to me as an object?” Crossing her arms, she glared at him.

  “No, Lilly.” Expression bemused, he dragged his left hand across his chin. “That’s just Protector talk. The asset refers to whatever we must protect above all else. And that would be you.”

  His explanation didn’t make her feel any better. “You’re telling me you dehumanize people? That makes no sense.”

  “It’s perfectly logical.” Voice now fierce, his silver eyes flashed as he faced her. “In order to act efficiently as Protectors, we absolutely cannot allow emotion to get in the way. I won’t risk you for anything, do you understand?”

  Slowly, she nodded, even though she wasn’t entirely clear on whether or not he’d managed to insult her again or given her the highest compliment.

  When she didn’t say anything else, he started the car and put it in gear. They drove out onto the main road, and then hung a quick right. “Are we going to your brother’s place?” she asked.

  “Nope. A little beyond there.”

  They pulled off the gravel and dirt road and he killed the engine. “Come on,” he said.

  Her head began to ache as she followed him. When they reached a large, grassy meadow, sheltered on all sides by dense underbrush and trees, her stomach had started hurting, too. Though part of her wanted to go along with his plan since he clearly only wanted to help her, even the idea of handling a firearm made her want to retch.

  “Here you go.”

  She recoiled when he tried to hand her a shiny silver pistol. Instead of taking it, she stared, wondering what he’d say if she told him it reminded her of a poisonous snake. Dangerous and deadly. “What’s this?”

  “My favorite revolver. It shoots .38, which won’t have too much recoil for you to handle.”

  Gathering up her courage, she made no move to take it. “I actually don’t like guns.”

  He gave her a reassuring smile. “As long as they’re handled properly, there’s no need to be afraid of them. Respect them, always, but I want to get you armed so you can defend yourself if need be.”

  He wanted. Though she knew he was right, the aversion she felt to handling the pistol ran deep, unshakable. In the time she’d spent with Kane, she’d grown strong and more confident. She realized if she didn’t take a stand on this, she would be taking a giant leap backward.

  “No,” she told him, meeting his gaze without flinching. “I know you mean well, and your wanting me to know how to handle a weapon makes sense.”

  Watching her, he waited. “But?”

  “But I don’t want to.” She took a deep breath, gathering her resolve. “Honestly, I couldn’t do it. Even if I knew how to shoot a gun, at that moment when I found myself pointing it at another human being, I’d freeze. I wouldn’t be able to shoot.”

  His mouth twisted. “Even if you knew you’d die if you didn’t?”

  “Even then.”

  Despite her words, he continued to hold the pistol as if he thought she’d change her mind. “You’re telling me you’d rather be recaptured by those religious fanatics, held prisoner and tortured than defend yourself.”

  “No.” Glaring at him, she shook her head. “Put the gun away. Please.”

  Finally he did, making her exhale with relief.

  Still, the black look he gave her told of his unhappiness. “I need to know, Lilly. What would you do if you found yourself alone and surrounded, with the Sanctuary doctors about to take you prisoner?”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but he forestalled her. “And don’t say you’ll have me to defend you, because I might not always be there.”

  Though the thought stung, his assumption also angered her. “I wasn’t going to say that. You’ve made it quite clear that I need to learn to rely on myself.”

  “Good.” But his harsh tone conveyed a different message. “Then tell me what you’d do in that situation.”

  “I’d change into a wolf and attack them,” she answered. “Or run. Something. But I wouldn’t shoot them. I couldn’t.”

  “I’m only trying to keep you safe.” Though he still looked fierce, the tight line of his mouth had softened somewhat. “And in all actuality, I’d prefer to see them all dead.”

  She couldn’t resist. “Can’t let them near the asset, now can you?”

  He laughed and finally reholstered the gun. “You win. I’m not happy about it, but you’ve made your feelings quite clear.”

  Something about the way he acquiesced, the way he gave what she wanted precedence over his own wants and needs, touched her deeply. “Thank you.”

  His gaze felt like a caress. “I’m proud of you, you know.”

  The smoldering flame in his eyes lit a bonfire deep inside her. She took a step toward him, her heart pounding an erratic beat. A bolt of raw wanting ran through her.

  He met her halfway, slanting his mouth over hers as if the touch of her lips was necessary for his survival.

  Her entire body throbbed and she gave herself up to his kiss.

  Then, as if someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water on him, he moved away, head and shoulders bent as though in some kind of pain.

  “We shouldn’t do this,” he said, his rusty voice harsh. The obvious sign of his arousal gave lie to his words.

  Aching, yet aware he was probably right, Lilly nodded.

  “Come on, let’s get you back to the cabin.” Kane moved off without waiting to see if she followed. “We’ve got a lot more preparations to do if we want to keep you safe.”

  Though the hot ache inside her spread to her eyes, making her blink back unexpected tears, she nodded. Following his lead, she climbed into his car, buckled in and stared out the window as he drove them back to the cabin.

  * * *

  Kane had never been one for self-delusion. Calling Lilly the asset had been his last desperate attempt to return to the perfectly trained operative he’d always been.

  Not only had it pissed her off, but it clearly hadn’t worked.

  And then she’d refused to learn how to handle a firearm. Not only had he not seen that coming, but he’d been ashamed at the relief that had flooded through him. He’d known that attempting to teach her to shoot would have become another exercise in torture. After all, he would have had to put his hands on her, to help show her the proper stance and way to hold the pistol and aim.

  Even standing a few feet away from her, the scent of her made him dizzy as hell. Once he’d touched her, all bets would have been off.

  The kiss had come out of nowhere, sending him dangerously close to losing all control. Though he’d fought it, he’d become so aroused he’d had to step back and clear his head or he’d have taken her right there in the meadow.

  When they arrived back at the cabin, a shadow detached itself from the wall and moved to greet his car. Bronwyn, the female part of this particul
ar Protector team.

  “Wait here,” he told Lilly, killing the ignition and reaching for the door handle.

  “Like hell,” she muttered, making him grin as she did the same.

  “Where have the two of you been?” Bronwyn sounded pleasant enough, but the tightness in her expression belied her attempt to appear casual.

  “Why?” Crossing his arms, Kane gave Bronwyn a look that he hoped would communicate that he wanted her to cut to the chase.

  Though the tiny jerk of her chin told him she got the message, the way she cut her eyes toward Lilly let him know she wasn’t comfortable speaking in front of the asset.

  Even thinking of Lilly that way felt wrong. He completely understood why she’d gotten so upset.

  “It’s okay, Bronwyn.” He clapped his hand on her shoulder. “Lilly can hear whatever you have to say.”

  Her shrug effectively removed his hand. “It’s your funeral. Anyway, we’ve been all over this town. No one has seen or heard from those three. The only person who has seen them is the woman who works in the motel.”

  “Muriel.”

  “Yes.” Bronwyn glanced again at Lilly. “How reliable is she?”

  “I’ve known her since I was a little kid. She’d never make something like that up. And furthermore, we’ve been pretty quiet about how many from Sanctuary are still running loose. She has no way of knowing there are three.”

  “True, but we can’t figure out why the perps would arrive and ask exactly one single person about their quarry, and then disappear.”

  “Perps?” Lilly asked.

  Kane smiled at her. “Short for perpetrator.” He glanced at Bronwyn, who watched him with an odd expression on her face.

  “That’s right,” she said. “And they’re not acting like they should, especially if they think you’re here.”

  “Which doesn’t make sense,” Kane put in. “Why else would they travel to Leaning Tree? We’re a small town in the Catskills, not even a major tourist destination like Woodstock.”

  Lilly cleared her throat, drawing both of their attention. “They won’t do things the way normal people would. My guess is they know more than you realize. They’ve found someplace where they can hole up and watch and wait.”